Athlete of the Week Articles

Whether he’s knocking down the outside jumper or posting up defenders and battling for boards in the paint, Righetti High School center Nick Sauer is a force to be reckoned with. The 6-foot-6 senior is the Warriors’ not-so-secret weapon in 2010, as evidenced by his recent 20-point, 17-rebound performance in a 63-37 blowout win over […]

In certain situations, it’s OK to steal and shoot your way to the top. Ashley Bonenfant has found herself in such situations, so she’s been doing just that. A freshman on the Allan Hancock College’s women’s basketball team, Bonenfant stands at 5-foot-5—but her modest height doesn’t shadow her skill as a basketball player. She has […]

Santa Maria’s Adolfo Lopez had plenty to be thankful for after the city Parks and Recreation Department’s Turkey Trot Fun Run on Nov. 21. At 50 years old, Lopez schooled some much younger competitors, winning the adult division of the 2 1/2-mile event with a time of 13:41. “I was very pleased,” Lopez said. “I […]

The current hasn’t always flowed to the benefit of Maddie Mastrup, but that never slowed her—it only made her stronger. She’s overcome any adversity facing her to the point where adversity now cowers in fear of her ability to improve beyond the highest expectations. “I started swimming when I was about 9,” Mastrup said, soaking […]

Allan Hancock College runner Monica Maldonado surprised herself at the Southern California Community College Cross-Country Championships on Nov. 6.   The freshman became the school’s only individual qualifier for the state cross-country meet, finishing in 51st place with a time of 20.04.   “Every time we had workouts, I simply did my best,” Maldonado said. […]

Orcutt Academy’s Kasey Ortiz has been playing tennis since she was old enough to walk, and it shows.   The 14-year-old freshman ran the table in 2009, going 45-0 in singles play and catapulting the school’s junior varsity tennis team to a 16-1 record.    Though she’s been playing longer than most of her peers […]

After Bridget Wilson scored the “winning goal” on Dr. Jose Ortiz, Allan Hancock College president, during the unveiling of the new soccer scoreboard, I approached her with utmost caution: It’s not wise to make the school president look like a bad goalie.   Wilson has no recollection of when she started playing soccer. From what […]

Kambria Sanders may be a rookie, but she doesn’t perform like one. As a newbie to the local gymnastics center, Sanders has defied the odds by qualifying for sectionals and barely missing state by half a point.   Sanders, 10 years old, has definitely dropped her audience’s jaws with her talent in the realm of […]

Sophomore Anakela Francisco, who plays women’s volleyball for Allan Hancock College, may not save lives, but every game she saves her team from their opponent’s ominous spikes. She’s ranked third in the Western State Conference—fourth in the state—with an impressive 268 digs. Despite her obvious talent, Francisco didn’t always have her eyes set on the […]

There are many different styles of quarterbacks, and Allan Hancock College’s sophomore starter just happens to be a Gunnar. Redshirted last season, Gunnar Jesperson has piloted the Bulldogs to a 5-1 start in 2009, throwing for 1,001 yards and eight touchdowns through the season’s sixth game. “Being a leader of this team is something special,” […]

After suffering through a motorcycle accident and the grueling effects of long-distance running, Rob Goodenough turned his head toward the art of cycling. His doctor pointed out that cycling would be a great form of rehabilitation for his injured right knee. Since then, however, Goodenough has adopted cycling as a way of life—not just for […]

Not even Sylvester Stallone could have imagined this story: A 19-year-old boxer can’t find fights as an amateur because of his physique, so he signs on to the pros after only 12 amateur bouts. Consider that most professionals have fought 50 or 60 fights in the amateur circuit.   Who would play this star boxer? […]